1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a readable and/or writeable media and a method of using the same, and more particularly, to a media for editing/updating the latest commodity information online, and a method of so doing.
2. Description of the Related Art
When commodities are sold in catalogs, the catalogs need to be continuously updated to introduce new commodities. However, consumers purchase commodities by referring to the catalogs, regardless of whether they have been updated.
There are basically two systems used conventionally to allow consumers to purchase products; one is an offline purchasing system, and the other is an online purchasing system. According to the offline purchasing system, a supplier provides a commodity catalog, usually in the form of a book-like paper catalog, to consumers, and the consumers select items to be purchased by referring to the catalog. Then, the consumers visit an actual store where commodities are sold to purchase their desired commodity items, pay for the purchased items, and then carry the purchased items home.
Several problems with this method are that necessary commodities may not be available from the consumers' visited store, and the commodity catalog information may not be offered opportunely. Also, pricing updates may not be done properly. Further, the consumer must be involved in almost all of the purchase processes in person.
It is also similarly known to order the commodities using a telephone, or using the mail, where the ordered commodities are delivered using the mail. These mail order methods present similar problems with regard to availability and lack of timely updated commodity catalog information, except that the consumer need not actually visit the store.
According to the online purchasing system, the consumers access the Internet, browse virtual shopping malls to retrieve their desired commodities, and then order their desired commodities. The consumers then make a payment associated with the ordered commodities using wire transfers or credit cards, the identities of the consumers are authenticated, and the merchant checks the credit cards for approval. Then, the consumers' ordered items are then transported to the consumers.
When using the online purchasing system, the consumers must access the network to sort through virtual shopping malls or a large number of products to order the products they want to purchase, which is a very cumbersome process. Other problems with this method include the fact that it is not easy to authenticate the consumer's identity, and further that consumer information may be divulged in an unsecured status. Also, consumer information may be intentionally distributed or sold by unreliable shopping malls.